1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article holding arrangement suitable for holding an article during transportation, storage or so forth of the articles. More particularly, the invention relates to an article holding arrangement which can hold the article during transportation, storage or so forth of the articles with improved durability and with capability of avoidance of collision with adjacent articles during transportation or storage.
2. Description of the Related Art
(A) Article Holder
Conventionally, there have been proposed article holders such as that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 59-222762. Such article holder is typically formed through cutting of a hard resin material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene or so forth.
However, the article holder made of the hard resin is difficult to reduce in weight. As well, since the hard resin holder cannot provide damping and sound absorbing effect, it may cause rebounding upon collision with adjacent holders while a plurality of holders are arranged in side-by-side relationship with while holding the articles for transportation, storage or so forth.
On the other hand, Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) 51-14952 discloses a damping material of foamed polyurethane. However, the disclosed damping material is adapted to be used when placed in a packing container. Therefore, it has not been suggested to form the article holder solely of the damping material. Furthermore, the disclosed damping material has a soft surface to cause a problem in durability. Also, since liquid, such as water, liquidous detergent and so forth may easily penetrate into the void in the formed material, variation of weight of the damping material can be caused due to penetration of such liquid to the extent that the variation may serve as a disturbance for weight check of the article held therein.
(B) Article Fixing Device
In the prior art, there have been proposed article fixing devices, such as that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-222762. The disclosed article fixing device is provided with two concave surfaces defining an article holding region of an article holder, with a projection projecting from one of the concave surfaces and a bias spring on the other concave surface for urging the article set in the article holding region toward the projection, for holding the article set in the article holding region of the article holder.
However, the foregoing prior art encounters the following problems as set out in 1.about.5.
1 Since the article is biased by resilient deformation of the spring, it becomes necessary to regularly replace the spring. This inherently increases frequency of maintenance.
2 Since the article is required to be maintained at the depressed position toward the projection with an appropriate depression force, it becomes difficult or even impossible to appropriately hold when the configuration and/or size of the article is changed.
3 Since the article is held by depression in one direction, i.e. from the spring side to the projection side, it becomes difficult or even impossible to center the article within the article holding region when the configuration and/or size of the article is changed.
4 When a plurality of article holders are transported in line through a transporting line, the adjacent article holders may collide to generate collision or friction noise.
5 When the article is set in the receptacle cavity of the article holder, the article is pressed thereinto with frictional contact with the spring and the projection to possibly form scratches on the article and to cause wearing of the spring and the projection. This further increases frequency of maintenance.
(3) Article Damping Device
In the prior art, there has been proposed a damping device for the article, such as that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2-46130. The disclosed damping device includes a damping member formed of an elastic material, such as rubber, provided at least one of a member out of hard members mutually contacting for positioning or so forth and, a sound absorbing member, such as fiber or so forth, provided at least on the contacting surface of the damping member, for damping and absorption of noise.
However, such prior art encounters problems as set out below in sections 1.about.3.
1 Two contacting members contact and collide even though the damping member is disposed therebetween, if such arrangement is applied as a damping device for articles transported through the transporting line in line; it may not avoid collision noise, friction noise or so forth due to collision between the adjacent articles.
2 Since the damping member will inherently contact and collide with the counterpart article, it can become worn to shorten the life thereof.
3 Since the damping member is made of an elastic material, such as rubber, it may be worn or suffer fatigue to lower elasticity to shorten life.